"I
have laid aside business, and gone a-fishing." I think the English
author Izaak Walton (1593-1683) would have repeated this, probably in
whispered tones of awe, had he been strolling the docks with me at the
Cape May, New Jersey, fishing mecca known as the Canyon Club this past
summer. For there he would have seen the row upon row of sportfishing
boats, their towers and `riggers reaching skyward, their cockpits
bristling with fishing gear, and their proud bows pointed away from their
slips, ready for sea as the 10th-annual Viking-Ocean showdown was about
to get underway.

While
Sir Izaak wrote these words 348 years ago in his classic The Compleat
Angler, they still reflect the kind of emotion that transcends time and
is as good an explanation as any for what the new Viking 61 Convertible
conjures for anglers. Whether you head for blue water in search of big
fish, wish to cruise in comfort and style, or prefer some combination
of the two, this is a boat to do it on.

"We
approached this project as a completely new concept," says Dave
Wilson, son of longtime Viking designer Bruce Wilson and who, along with
his father and the Viking Design Team, is responsible for the 61. "This
boat is the result of a progression from the highly successful 55 hull
through to the 65," he adds.

Wilson
goes on to explain how the 61 has a new, sharp entry that was achieved
by pulling the lower end of the stem aft. "The result is less forefoot
in the water," he explains. "Add some subtle chine changes,
and what you get is a drier, softer ride, even in head seas. And we designed
her to be flatter in the midsection for better stability."

The
dry ride Wilson mentioned was noticeable as I sat on the port side of
the transom and watched the big boat's bow wave being thrown so
far to either side that there was never a chance of catching spray in
the cockpit. Of course it might have been a bit different if the conditions
were in contrast to the relatively flat water and the 10-knot wind we
had on test day. But given Viking's reputation I had little doubt
the 61 could perform as well as any vessel of her pedigree, and from my
position, the frothing water seemed far from our fast-moving boat.

How
fast? Earlier I had clocked our test boat, powered by a pair of optional
1,480-hp DDC-MTU Series 2000 V12s, at an average top speed of 38.7 mph
and a fast cruise of 36 mph. With that iron, she displaces 92,000 pounds.
(With standard 1,300-hp MAN 2842LE404s, she tips the scales at 87,000
pounds.) In my opinion, those are pretty impressive numbers for a boat
that displaces that kind of weight.